Source Marketing Direct respond to news that small businesses are being bullied by larger companies.
Small businesses are being pushed to breaking point by bullying corporate customers, by making immoral payment demands according to a lobby group. A recent survey by the Federation of Small Business (FSB) said that about one in five small businesses had suffered some form of supply-chain bullying in the past two years. With about 5.2 million small businesses in the UK, the figures would suggest that about one million are facing some form of bullying.
The lobby group reported that about 260,000 (5%) of small businesses could be facing ‘pay to stay’ charges with other examples of poor payment practices, including making suppliers wait up to 120 days for payment rather than the EU standard of 60 days. It has also been found that larger companies would obtain cheaper prices by cutting 3% off their own bill for paying the supplier early or even on time.
Source Marketing Direct highlights that small business survival is crucial for the success and growth of the UK economy and society. Not only because they provide the success stories of the future, but also because they meet local needs (e.g. hairdresser, financial consultant, emergency plumber etc). Small businesses serve the requirements of larger businesses e.g. for photography services, printed stationery, catering and routine maintenance. Source Marketing Direct states business professionals don’t have to set up their own enterprise to be enterprising. The firm highlight that being entrepreneurial simply means developing the right skills, attitudes and initiatives to make an innovative contribution to an organisation.
Most UK businesses today are small. Two thirds are owned and run by one person. Nearly 90% employ less than six people. They are also an important source of employment. Just over 2.5 million UK workers are self employed; one in eight of all workers. It is from these small companies that tomorrow’s big names will probably arise. For these reasons, large businesses should be supporting small businesses, not bullying them.
Source Marketing Direct is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in London. The firm provide productive solutions for client’s needs; resulting in clients increasing their customer base and revenues so they can stay competitive within their own market. Source Marketing Direct is a huge supporter of small businesses and will continue to be for as long as the firm is operational; the firm has grown from one person to over 200 sales advisors throughout the UK.